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  "Are you a Beast Tamer? ... Apart from Beast Tamers, I have never seen that loose cultivator in the Refining Qi stage who would go to such great lengths to tame a large combat spirit beast! You must have paid a considerable price to raise this Boar Spirit Beast. If not, you might also be a fourth-level Refining Qi cultivator!"

  Liu Qing looked somewhat puzzled, and asked a question, putting away his previous disdainful expression. He slowly drew out the sword at his waist with his right hand. In his hand was a faintly gleaming Cyan Spirit Sword, which had some minor damage and scratches on its surface. Just by looking at the damage to the sword's body, one could tell that this sword had been used for a very long time.

  Qīng Líng Jiàn is a mid-grade spiritual instrument commonly used by cultivators in the middle stage of Qi refinement.

  "Brother Liu, shall we begin?"

  Ye Chen hesitated for a moment before speaking.

  Neither acknowledged nor denied being a Beastmaster. He wouldn't reveal his true self before the battle began. Even revealing just a little bit of information would allow Liu Qing to guess many things.

  "Whether you say it or not, as long as we engage in combat, I'll be able to gauge your strength and true nature. Now you have the qualifications to become my opponent! However, having the qualifications to challenge me is one thing, whether or not you can defeat me is another matter altogether!"

  Liu Qing didn't mind Ye Chen keeping it, and said with a hint of pride.

  Ye Chen's eyes were cautious, and with a swift motion, he drew out the xuan iron knife from his waist, its chilling blade glinting menacingly.

  In his mind, some information about Liu Qing flashed by quickly.

  Liu Qing, Refining Qi period 4th layer, main cultivation Wood system, skilled in Green system sword techniques! Spell is Wood system entanglement technique. Liu Qing has some reputation at Qing Shan Lake, and has fought fiercely with dozens of Refining Qi period 4th layer cultivators, rich in experience. Nothing else.

  Once a master publicly engages in a martial arts contest, it is difficult to keep the secrets of one's true abilities hidden. Liu Qing's background was well-known to many masters at Qing Shan Lake.

  Ye Chen would choose Liu Qing who was number one hundred, and of course he had some understanding of Liu Qing beforehand.

  Liu Qing waved his right hand, and the Green Spirit Sword appeared in it. With a flick of his left wrist, a green swirling aura burst forth, and he assumed a defensive stance with his sword at the ready. "You make the first move!"

  A battle between cultivators of the same rank usually starts with one side taking the initiative to gain an advantage. However, in Qing Shan Hu, it's generally the challenger who takes the first move, and Ye Chen was also a lower-ranked cultivator.

  The flat ground around the hut had completely quieted down. Dozens of onlookers, monks who were either on Liu Qing's side or Ye Chen's side, all stopped talking and held their breath, watching this battle of magic in silence, waiting for the outcome.

  Even at this time, most of them are still affirmative, and Liu Qing has a greater chance of winning in this battle.

  "Should I make the first move?"

  Ye Chen sank into thought for a moment, then said very seriously.

  Liu Qing's eyebrows rose, and a fierce aura flashed in his eyes as he said in a deep voice, "Of course! Do I need to lower my status as a high-ranking cultivator and attack you first? Don't talk nonsense, otherwise, once I make a move, you might not even have the chance to counterattack!"

  "Alright! Tomorrow morning, I'll formally challenge Liu Qing! Please, Brother Liu, teach me!"

  Ye Chen immediately stopped talking and took a step back.

  The two men were about twenty zhang apart.

  Fourth-level cultivators of the Qi Refining stage have a comprehensive advantage over third-level cultivators. Their divine sense range is farther, their magical powers are more abundant, and their physical body's qi and blood are even more sufficient. However, the flat land around the hut is only several dozen meters in size, and the scope of the battle is naturally limited.

  Ye Chen's divine consciousness stirred.

  In front of him, the small hedgehog rushed forward with its four legs for a few feet, then fell to the ground, arched its back, and erected a row of yellowish-brown hard and sharp long spines, the longest one exceeding three feet in length. Its entire body was covered with sharp quills that made it impossible for anyone to get close.

  Ye Chen raised his left hand, and a huge fireball appeared above his palm. He flung it at Liu Qing with a loud crash. At the same time, the little wild boar let out a "huff" sound, its back shining with yellow light as it suddenly shot out an earth arrow towards Liu Qing.

  Earth Arrows and Fireballs, two attack spells, almost simultaneously struck towards Liu Qing.

  Ye Chen and Xiao Hu's release of their magic spells was almost simultaneous, completed in the blink of an eye.

  It's done at the same time!

  Not necessarily in order!

  Only two divine consciousness can control at the same time, in order to complete the tacit attack action of high coordination between the cultivator and the spiritual beast, otherwise there will definitely be a deviation.

  "Two Paths of Divine Awareness!!!"

  Liu Qing's face changed drastically. He had once fought against a mid-stage cultivator with multiple divine senses, how could he not know what this meant! In that battle, he was defeated miserably, defeated to the point of being utterly routed.

  If I had known Ye Chen had two divine consciousnesses, he would never have yielded. Even if it meant losing face, he would still attack simultaneously.

  It wasn't just Liu Qing, but also the dozens of Qi Refining stage cultivators around him, who were deeply shocked by the scene of Ye Chen and the Hao Zhu Ling Beast coordinating their attack.

  Unbelievable.

  Two divine consciousnesses is not strange.

  What was truly shocking was that Ye Chen had cultivated two divine senses in the early stages of his Qi Refining. Normally, a loose cultivator would only cultivate two divine senses during the later stages of their Qi Refining.

  "In the Xian City Merchant Guild, they're selling a secret manual for cultivating spiritual awareness, and it's several hundred spirit stones!"

  "Ye Chen surprisingly already possesses two divine consciousness, not only can he tame beasts, but also master fire system magic. He is a beast tamer and also a fire mage! A loose cultivator being able to reach this level is too rare."

  "It seems that Brother Liu Qing has encountered a formidable foe this time!"

  Whoosh! Whizz!

  Fireballs and earth arrows shot forth.

  Liu Qing didn't dare to slack off, and with a loud shout, the Qingling sword in his hand burst out with a flash of light that was nearly a zhang long, slashing towards the incoming fireball.

  Hmph!

  The fireball was cut in half by a green light, and the exploding flames splashed open to both sides of Liu Qing without harming him.

  However, Liu Qing blocked the fireball but failed to block the earth arrow that came at the same time.

  Bang!

  That mud arrow hit Liu Qing's chest.

  Liu Qing grunted, stumbling backward several steps before regaining his footing. A thread of blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. The low-grade spell robe on him had blocked most of the earth arrow's power, but the small wild boar earth arrow still had some force and had shaken him through the robe.

  "Liu brother suffered a setback! ... Continue fighting, it's unknown who will win or lose!"

  Several cries of surprise rose again among dozens of people around.

  Ye Chen didn't relax at all, and with a wave of his hand, another fireball appeared. The little hedgehog hummed twice and then shot out an earth arrow.

  "Damn it, he had two divine consciousnesses at the initial stage of Qi refining, and not only could he tame beasts, but also master fire system magic! When did such a figure emerge among the scattered cultivators in Tianyun Xianyuan City? This is even more difficult to deal with than a simple beast tamer or spellcaster!"

  Liu Qing's face turned iron-green, and with a sudden burst of speed, he dodged to the side, avoiding the two spells head-on and instead using all his strength to evade.

  After taking a few more hits of magic, his robes could no longer withstand it.

  Liu Qing swiftly dodged and weaved, avoiding the incoming earth arrows. With a swing of his sword, he emitted a green glow that sliced through the approaching fireball, then charged towards Ye Chen.

  But Ye Chen's spellcasting speed was extremely fast, with one spell following another, almost forcing Liu Qing to gasp for breath, and he had no choice but to exert his full strength in wielding his sword, occasionally even retreating.

  Liu Qing spent five or six breaths of effort before approaching Ye Chen within ten zhang.

  Liu Qing's face revealed a hint of joy, as long as he could get within three zhang of Ye Chen, he would have the upper hand.

  Close combat, Ye Chen's three-layer cultivation was no match for this four-layer cultivator. Just the mid-grade Qingling sword in his hand was a full grade higher than Ye Chen's low-grade Xuan Iron Knife.

  Ye Chen saw Liu Qing rapidly approaching him, he immediately turned around and ran away from the Hao Zhu Ling Shou, increasing the distance between himself and Liu Qing.

  On the flat ground, even the surrounding monks who were watching also became tense. If the difference in strength between the monks was great, they could quickly determine the winner. Unless their strengths were very close, they would continue to fight for a long time.

  It has now come to a critical moment, and whether Ye Chen can escape a little further and pull away will determine how long he can hold on in this battle of magic. Everyone doesn't think much of him, but Ye Chen was able to hold on for a bit longer under Liu Qing's hands, although defeated, it is still a small honor.

  "Too late!"

  Liu Qing suddenly accelerated and chased, from ten zhang away to six or seven zhang away. With a loud roar, he immediately swung his hand and threw out a wrapped air mass technique, towards Ye Chen, to prevent him from escaping.

  Bang!

  That binding spell was cast on Ye Chen's body.

  Ye Chen let out a cry of surprise as he was wrapped around by a green, tendril-like aura, his rapidly moving figure suddenly stumbling and falling towards the ground.

  The surrounding monks couldn't help but let out a collective sigh of relief.

  The duel is over!

  Tied down by Liu Qing's entanglement technique, Ye Chen was unable to escape and pull away, doomed to be defeated at Liu Qing's hands. The sword technique that Liu Qing had cultivated was no trivial matter, with dozens of skilled Qi Refining stage four cultivators having fallen to his hands in defeat.

  Among them, some people even felt sorry for Ye Chen. He was in the third layer of the Refining Qi period, but he had a spiritual beast and possessed two divine consciousnesses. He also practiced fire-based spells, which already made him one of the top powers among the scattered cultivators at the third layer of the Refining Qi period, enough to make a name for himself by the Qing Shan Lake.

  Such strength, but unfortunately lost to the first hundred hut owner Liu Qing's hands.

  "Ye Chen, you're done for!"

  Liu Qing was overjoyed, and with a swift movement, he pounced forward, his Qingling sword stabbing towards Ye Chen. However, just as the joy on his face was about to reveal itself, a green light shot out, "pa", his body paused, bound by a powerful force, falling from a height of one zhang.

  "Entwining Technique!"

  Liu Qing was stunned, he majored in wood, and was extremely familiar with the art of entanglement. He had a thorough understanding of the power, function, and how to use it for combat. What bound him, apart from the art of entanglement, could be nothing else.

  "Double Fireball!"

  Ye Chen didn't even bother to deal with the entangling technique that was binding him, and instead sent a binding technique towards Liu Qing. He then raised his hands and released two fireballs, fiercely pushing them forward.

  Hoo! Hoo!

  Two fireballs drew two arcs, one left and one right, rushing towards the willow greenery five zhang away.

  The fireball was controlled by divine consciousness, and Ye Chen didn't need to move his body at all to blast it out.

  Liu Qing was entangled by the vines and immobilized on the spot. He went crazy, pulling and tugging, tearing the green vines apart.

  But he saw two fireballs rapidly enlarging in his pupils, already revealing a desperate look.

  Too late!

  Even if he had torn apart Ye Chen's entanglement technique, he didn't have enough time to dodge these two fireballs, and not even enough time to swing his sword in defense.

  Boom!

  Two fireballs exploded on Liu Qing's chest, and under the tremendous force, Liu Qing was sent flying like a defeated rag doll, more than ten zhang away, rolling on the ground several times before finally stopping after crashing into the mountain stone wall.

  The power of two exploding fireballs was something that even Liu Qing, a four-layer Qi Refining cultivator, could not withstand.

  A piece of flat land excavated from a mountain body in front of No. 100 hut.

  Dozens of Qi-refining cultivators who were watching the battle couldn't believe their eyes at this sudden reversal. They had thought that Liu Qing was sure to win, but in the blink of an eye, he was defeated. The scene fell into a dead silence.